1. Helping Students Generate and Test Hypotheses
Design Question 4 - Element 22:
How can the teacher engage students in cognitively complex tasks that involve hypothesis generation and testing?

2. Before we begin…
Before we begin talking about element 22, let’s be sure that there is an understanding about how the elements in Design Question 4 are related. This is important as you plan your lessons. While watching the video, please take notes, documenting how the elements in Design Question 4 are related.
Click here for the Design Question 4 Video.

3. Video Notes
How are the elements in Design Question 4 related to one another?
Element 21 outlines how students should be organized within cooperative learning groups for the purpose of engaging in cognitively complex tasks.
Element 22 demonstrates that the teacher should provide students with cognitively complex tasks that allow them to generate and test hypotheses about open-ended questions with multiple correct responses.
Element 23 shows that while teachers are in a coach or guide on the side position during this process, they still have a responsibility to provide resources and support as students work through the process.
Now let’s talk about element 22, specifically.

4. Review Teacher and Student Evidence NOTE: This list of evidence is not all inclusive but is instead a list of possible examples.

5. Review Scale for Element 22

6. Desired Effect in the Students
The desired effect is, “students generate and test hypotheses to enhance their understanding of content and the inquiry process..” To receive an Innovating rating, the teacher must monitor and make accommodations so that every student in their classroom achieves this desired effect.

7. Task
While watching the below video, please identify these three things:
1. the types of cognitively complex tasks.
2. when Sharon Euler asks her students to generate and test hypotheses.
3. the subject areas where generating and testing hypotheses can be used.
After watching the video you will be asked to identify the teacher and student evidence to rate the teacher on this element. Focus on Joel Holtry doing the culminating activity.
Click here for the video.

8. Video Questions
Q: What are the types of cognitively complex tasks? A: There are four types of cognitively complex tasks, which include problem solving, decision making, experimental inquiry and investigations. Q: When does Sharon Euler ask her students to generate and test hypotheses? A: She uses generating and testing hypotheses as an entry point into a unit, providing students with only enough background information to complete the task. Q: In what subject areas can generating and testing hypothesis be used? A: These types of cognitively complex tasks can be used in any subject area.

9. Task
On the next slide is the teacher and student evidence. What evidence did you see and were able to document? Use this to rate the teacher as you walk through the next few slides.

10. Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did you see?

11. Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did we see?

12. How to Rate Teacher and Student Evidence
You can only give credit for what you see.
The teacher engages students with an explicit decision making, problem solving, experimental inquiry or investigation task that requires students to generate and test hypotheses.
The teacher asked students to use the provided materials to create a raft that would hold the most weight.
The teacher facilitates students generating their own individual or group task that requires them to generate and test hypotheses.
The students looked at what went wrong and how they would make their rafts differently next time. They were so motivated by the project that they continued working on it at home and even took videos to share with the teacher.

13. How to Rate Teacher and Student Evidence
Students are clearly working on tasks that require them to generate and test hypotheses.
The students had to make a hypothesis about the best way to build the raft and then test the hypothesis by actually building the raft.
When asked, the students can explain the hypothesis they are testing.
The little girl who was interviewed was able to clearly explain this.
When asked, the students can explain whether their hypothesis was confirmed or disconfirmed.
The girl who was interviewed was able to talk about her hypothesis being confirmed on the experiment she continued outside of class.
Student artifacts indicate that they can engage in decision making, problem solving, experimental inquiry or investigation.
The students’ boats are artifacts of their ability to engage in experimental inquiry.

14. Review Scale for Element 22 to Rate the Teacher

15. How we Rated the Teacher
We gave the teacher a Developing rating for element The teacher has clearly engaged students in a cognitively complex task involving experimental inquiry. We know that at least one student is questioned, but we lack information as to whether the majority of students are generating and testing hypotheses. If we did have this evidence, the teacher would receive an Applying rating. If all of the students were able to generate and test hypotheses, the teacher would receive an Innovating rating.

16. Task
While watching the below video, please identify what you notice about the thinking that the students share when they think out loud.
Click here for the video.

17. Video Question
Q: What do you notice about the students’ thinking when they share out loud. A: What you might have noticed is that the students are able to apply their knowledge or prior learning to real situations. They were all able to articulate their thinking and were working at a more cognitively complex level. Forming and testing hypotheses can be used in all curriculum areas and is a valuable tool in motivating students to delve into deeper and more complex levels of thinking.

18. What is next?
First, start with a self-evaluation. What teacher and/or student evidence can you identify for element 22 in your classroom? What rating do you think you would receive on the scale for this element?
Now that you have determined where you rate on the scale, take some time to identify what you need to change or improve upon in order to grow to a higher rating on the scale.
Choose a curriculum area that you will be teaching soon. Plan and teach a lesson that requires students to generate and test hypotheses using one of the four types of cognitively complex thinking.
The resources on the following slide may assist you as you work.

19. Additional Resources for Understanding and Using Element 22
How to: Use Cooperative Learning – Copy/paste this link after logging into 6b60f Generating and Testing Hypotheses DQ4 -Generating and Testing Hypotheses

20. More Resources for the Classroom
You will need to be logged on to in order to access these resources. You will have to copy/paste the links. How To: Use Experimental Inquiry Tasks How To: Use Investigative Tasks How To: Use Decision Making Tasks How To: Use Problem Solving Tasks

21. Is this element in your PGP? Then you need to…
sign into Click on the Growth tab and then click on the Plans option. Open your current plan and fill out a new Reflection Log, answering all of the questions.
decide how you will change your teaching as a result of viewing this module.
execute your change, reflect on its impact, and fill out another Reflection Log in iObservation.

22. Further questions?
Here are resources in case you have further questions:
Your evaluator
Another evaluator on your campus
Your school’s classroom practice mentor (CPM)